5. Conclusion

This literature review has explored the multifaceted role of official statistics in UK public policy. While illustrating various mechanisms through which such data have been employed to raise awareness, inform policy development and facilitate monitoring and evaluation processes, the review has primarily highlighted a range of facilitators and barriers that influence the effective integration of official statistics into policy decisions. 

People factors such as analytical capacity, capability and collaborations, and production factors like user engagement, relevance, frequency and timeliness, and accessibility have been identified as having significant potential to act as facilitators and barriers. 

Overall, the review underscores the complex interplay between the production of official statistics and their subsequent application in the context of policy. By elucidating the facilitators of, and barriers to, the effective use of official statistics in UK policy, this review contributes to ongoing discussions surrounding evidence-based policymaking and the pursuit of serving the public good through rigorous, data-informed decision-making processes.  

As reflected in the introduction to this literature review, the insights shared here are only one piece of the puzzle in terms of how official statistics can serve the public good. They aim to complement both existing evidence and ongoing research exploring how statistics are used by individual members of the public.